Thursday, October 06, 2011

Liverpool have spent a total of £7.5 million per point in the Barclays Premier League, between last October when the new owners purchased the club and the end of last season, according to the FourFourTwo annual football rich list.

Fenway Sports Group purchased the club last October from previous owners Hicks and Gillett, and have taken the club from being close to ruin to in a stable financial position and capable of challenging for Champions League football.

The amount of money that Liverpool have spent is almost £2 million more per point than Manchester City have spent since their Middle Eastern owners took over in September 2008.

Since Kenny Dalglish took over the reigns at Liverpool, he has spent over £100 million on bringing players to Anfield. Luis Suarez, Andy Carroll and Jordan Henderson are just a few names Dalglish purchased, with the three combining to cost the club over £75 million.

While Liverpool made some big purchases in the 2010 summer transfer window, three changes in managers within a year brought the club instability. Dalglish’s emergence in January helped give the club more of a plan for the long-term future, but players are still gelling with one another, and seven new signings this summer have put Liverpool into something of a rebuilding period.

In contrast, Everton have spent £48,192.77 per point since Bill Kenwright bought the club in 2004, up until the end of last season.

Since 2004, Liverpool has won one Champions League and one FA Cup. They are yet to claim silverware for new owners Fenway Sports Group.

According to footy bunker, Harry Redknapp is keen to bring the player he signed for Portsmouth to the Capital as he looks to bolster his right back options.

The 27-year-old defender is currently sidelined from Liverpool action with injury however the emergence of Martin Kelly and John Flanagan means that he will face a tough task reclaiming his first team spot.

Should Tottenham decide to firm up their interest they would, in all likelihood have to pay upwards of the 18 million pounds that Liverpool paid for the right-back two seasons ago.

Luis Suarez has claimed Liverpool's best chance of picking up silverware this season is in the cup competitions, with the Uruguayan suggesting Premier League title contenders Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea are "unreachable".

The forward has been a shining light for Liverpool this season, with his four goals propelling the Reds up to fifth in the table. They are just six points adrift of the Manchester duo, and three behind Chelsea, but Suarez feels they are not on the same level as the pacesetters.

"We have no limit and want to stay in the top four. But winning the Premier League is now very difficult," Suarez told Gazzetta dello Sport. "The two Manchesters and Chelsea are unreachable. But we can win the cups."

The No.7 jersey is held in great esteem at Anfield, having been worn by Kevin Keegan and current Reds boss Kenny Dalglish, but Suarez has claimed he was not aware of its significance when he joined the club from Ajax.

"I didn't know the history of my No.7 shirt at Liverpool," Suarez said. "I picked it because it was one of the few numbers available. Now that I know the story I am proud to wear the 'seven' and I try not to feel the burden of its heritage."

Suarez has adapted well to life in England and has been helped along the way by Dalglish.

"Dalglish tries to talk to me in Spanish and tries to help me," he said. "I appreciate that."

Kenny Dalglish has expressed his satisfaction with Fabio Capello's decision not to pick Steven Gerrard for his latest England squad.

The midfielder made only his third appearance in six months for Liverpool when he came on as a substitute in last Saturday's Merseyside derby at Goodison Park– which the visitors won 2-0 – have undergone a groin operation. It was felt then that Capello would pick Gerrard for Friday's Euro2012 qualifier against Montenegro but, to Dalglish's delight, he decided to leave the player on Merseyside.

"I think it's beneficial for everybody that Stevie hasn't been called up by England," the Liverpool manager told the club's official website "He's got back to where he is right now because of the people that have been working with him. He's said himself that he has great faith in those people.

"I don't think it would have been helpful for Stevie – or us or England – if he had gone away for the game against Montenegro. I think it's a sensible decision for all concerned."

Dalglish added: "These few weeks also give some of the lads who are returning from injury – Daniel Agger and Glen Johnson – more time to get back. Time is a great healer so hopefully the lads will benefit from the break. We'll cross our fingers and hope that nobody comes back from international duty with an injury."

Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has praised team-mate Luis Suarez and said he would not swap him for any other striker in England.

Manchester City forwards Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko have eight and six goals respectively in the Premier League, whilst Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney is the league’s top goalscorer on nine goals.

However, the Anfield veteran has total faith in the Uruguay international and confessed he would not swap the 24-year-old for any other player in the country.

“I know there are great players in the league,” Carragher told talkSPORT. “Aguero has started great, Rooney has started great, all these different players, but I can honestly say, without bias, I wouldn’t swap him for anyone.

“I’m not saying these players aren’t as good as him but, for me, I wouldn’t swap him for anyone. I think he’s fantastic.”

Suarez played a key role in the Merseyside derby on Saturday when Everton midfielder Jack Rodwell was sent off for a lunge on him, before winning a penalty and sealing victory by capitalizing on a defensive mix-up to wrap up a 2-0 win.

He scored four goals last season in the Premier League for Liverpool after arriving in January for an estimated £24 million from Ajax.

The striker has already equalled that total in the 2011-12 campaign and now has nine goals in 22 appearances in all competitions for the Reds.